Poll: Kirk benefits from voter dissatisfaction
Illinois voters didn't appear overly enthusiastic about either Senate candidate, but Republican Mark Kirk triumphed with help from independents, men and people worried about the economy, an exit poll showed.
Exit polling showed that Kirk, a five-term congressman, offset rival Alexi Giannoulias' solid majorities in heavily Democratic Chicago and Cook County by winning big in the collar counties outside the city and downstate.
About one-fourth of voters describing themselves as neither Democratic nor Republican went for Kirk by more than a 2-to-1 margin.
Nearly two-thirds of those who said their family's financial situation was worse than two years ago voted for him rather than Giannoulias, the Illinois treasurer and Obama's hand-picked candidate.
"Overall Kirk is the more responsible mind (for) where government should be going," said Catherine Eleanor Ketter, 25, a Chicago paralegal and independent. "I am a believer that we need balanced representation in the Senate."
A tight governor's race between Democratic incumbent Pat Quinn and Republican challenger Bill Brady remained undecided into Wednesday.
The harsh campaigns waged by Kirk and Giannoulias clearly turned off many people, based on the Associated Press survey of more than 2,400 voters. More than a third of voters said in the exit poll that they saw neither candidate as honest and trustworthy. And more than half said both candidates attacked each other unfairly.
Negative voter sentiment also cast a shadow over the race for governor, an office whose most recent two occupants — Republican George Ryan and Democrat Rod Blagojevich — were convicted of felonies. About four voters in five said the issue of corruption and ethics in state government was important in their decision.
Thomas Busch, 55, a Christian minister and political independent from Decatur, said he voted for Green Party candidate Rich Whitney in part as a protest vote. Whitney polled less than 3 percent. "There was no other alternative," said Busch. "The mudslinging between Quinn and Brady was so deep I was disgusted."
Giannoulias drew support from nine in 10 black voters and was backed solidly by Hispanics and by people under age 40. But many seniors and middle- and upper-income voters tilted toward his opponent. Nearly three in five voters age 65 and over supported Kirk, and the GOP congressman had a 2-to-1 edge among voters with household incomes of $100,000 or more.
About one in six people who said they voted for Obama for president in 2008 also cast their ballots for Kirk.
The exit poll suggested that Giannoulias came on strong late in the campaign, winning the support of more than half of those who made their choice within the last week.
Quinn forged a tiny lead relying on virtually opposite sources from Kirk. He had solid support among those from households earning less than $100,000, labor union households, and those with a family member who had lost a job in the last two years. He was dominant in Chicago and Cook County.
Brady was strongly backed by wealthier voters and by those who disapprove of Obama's performance. He also had a 2-to-1 advantage in rural Illinois and an edge in the suburbs.
More than one-third of Illinois voters indicated they supported the tea party. Those voters overwhelmingly backed Republicans Kirk and Brady.
Meredyth Richards, 23, of Chicago called herself a huge fan of the group.
"The tea party embraces the fiscal responsibility and the principles laid forth by our founding fathers necessary to return our country to greatness," she said.
The exit poll of 2,401 Illinois voters was conducted for AP by Edison Research in a random sample of 45 precincts statewide. Results were subject to sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points; it is higher